Touch fasteners, such as hook and loop fasteners, generally include a male fastener component that includes a plurality of male fastener elements, and a cooperating female fastener component. In general, the male fastener elements are adapted to engage loops or anchored fibers on the female fastener component. Male fastener elements can be molded directly into a desired shape or, alternatively, can be molded first and then formed into a desired shape. Molded male fastener elements typically are integrally formed with the base.
Some male fastener elements are in the shape of hooks. Each hook includes a stem extending from the base to a head with a crook which overhangs the base. Typically, the hooks are molded in a continuous process, using a mold roll formed of a series of stacked plates, e.g., as described in Fischer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,028, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.